Conversations are a walk in the park – communication is better outdoors, research finds

New research has found that conversations are better in natural environments such as parks and gardens than indoors.

Researchers from The University of Manchester and Cardiff University recorded conversations between children and their parents while they explored a city park and an indoor education centre, and found that the conversations in the park were more responsive and connected compared to those recorded indoors.

The team focused on families with three- and four-year-olds, because at these ages most children have a lot to say, but coordinating with a conversational partner is sometimes challenging.

Dr Thea Cameron-Faulkner, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at The University of Manchester, and one of the study authors, said: “Our research demonstrates that natural environments can significantly enhance social interactions, in this case improving the quality of parent-child conversations.”

Professor Merideth Gattis, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, one of the study authors, added: “One of the most challenging aspects of conversations is listening and responding to what other people say. The results of our study suggest that one simple way for people to improve this process is to spend time outdoors in natural environments.

The findings are an important first step toward building a better understanding of how natural environments can influence communication and could be used to inform and improve a number of services including education, child welfare and urban design.

Future studies will explore the reliability of the findings, as well as probing which specific aspects of environments influence communication quality.

Sam Williams, Co-author of the Arup report Cities Alive: Designing for Urban Childhoods, who was not involved in the research, commented: “Positive and engaging parent-child communication is key to a child’s healthy development with lifelong benefits. This study, which is the first of its kind, demonstrates the importance of access to local, natural environments to enhance this relationship. Providing opportunities for daily contact with nature is a simple but powerful way that cities can support both children and their caregivers, with significant implications for how we plan, design and manage our public spaces.”